บททั้งหมดของ The Forsaken: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

Sonja Youngblood marched across the marsh with purpose and determination, punctuating each stride. The dead leaves scattered on the path leading up to the front steps billowed around her. A few hit her in the face, gently grazing her cheek, silently welcoming her to the haunted house, or perhaps warning her of the approaching storm.Sonja hated the place. She hated even more that she was there. She could still taste the fear and anger of that night so long ago, and the smell of incense that hung heavy in the air. Years later, every time she lit incense, she remembered the vampire's fateful monthly court, her coven's sacrifices, and all the things they lost. Now, they were back, threatening to tear the power from their hands once more.Never again, Sonja fumed as she clambered up the crumbling steps, the rotting tiles on the porch groaning under her weight. Before she could even hammer her fists on the heavy oak door, it slowly rattled to life with a long, dreadful squeak. But all Sonja

Luca left the cellar and retreated to the crypt. But hard as he tried, he couldn't close his eyes and silence his mind. He gave up after numerous attempts and settled on staring at the ceiling instead. He thought back to the last twenty years, conversations that took place in this very room resurfaced, and memories and feelings he'd struggled to keep locked away over the last two decades rushed forth.He'd run through that evening a million times in his head, wondering if he could have done things differently. Maybe if he'd delayed his hunting trip, postponed it for another week, and stayed, none of the misery that followed since would exist.He remembered that fateful night so clearly, as though it were just yesterday. He had awakened from a troubled sleep, and the deep sense of foreboding from his dream had haunted him throughout the day. To distract himself and shake off the ominous feeling of doom gripping his heart, he'd thrown himself at the piano, convinced music would do the tr

Cadence Youngblood's steel-grey eyes lit up as she watched the unusually tall man jump out of the red pickup truck and swiftly run up the front steps, the steady wind blowing through his jet-black hair.Just as he was about to reach the door, as if he could sense her watching him, he paused, turned and stared straight at her.Cadence gasped and ducked out of view, crawling on all fours as she drew the curtains to block out his sharp gaze.She waited and slowly counted to ten, before she rose from the floor and opened the curtains again, just in time to see him retrieve a large, blue cooler box from the truck's bed. His movements were smooth and fluid as he crouched down to place it on the ground. The muscles on his broad shoulders flexed underneath the white T-shirt, and his black jeans moulded his firm butt to perfection.Cadence wondered about the contents of the cooler box. It was way too chilly to stock up on beers. But on second thought, she didn't care. Surely, whatever was in th

"Unbelievable!" Sonja glared at the members of her coven with pure disbelief written in her eyes. They'd all sensed Luca's arrival, hence their impromptu gathering. But for an hour, they'd talked about almost everything under the sun, and none of it was important."What is it, dear?" asked Luann, her older sister and the coven's high priestess."This is what he wants, to see us fight, squabble, and doubt each other."Before Sonja had even finished her piece, they were all at it again, screaming and waving their fists, threatening to do bodily harm to each other with their magic. The reason for their heated war of words was Carmella Long failing to produce her piece of the magical keystone the coven had used to eternally bind the members of Luca's clan to the Delacroix's cellar twenty years ago.The keystone in question had eight pieces, and when arranged and placed together, they took on the shape of an eight-point star, known as the Star of Chaos or The Divine Fire Wheel.There were m

In their cabin in the secluded part of the woods, Samuel and his small band of vampire hunters were still reeling over their failure. They all hurried to their little corners and busied themselves with cleaning their weapons, getting them ready for the impending war with anyone who dared stand in their way. "We'll get it next time," he told the other four. He was referring to the piece of the Chaos Star they'd tried to get from Sonja. But even as he said the words, he knew he wasn't convincing anyone. The Youngbloods' magic was far more powerful than they remembered. They'd heard rumours floating around town about Luca's return and his plans to free his brother, and they knew the vampire would need the Chaos Star to break the seal. Rather than tempt fate and leave the star in the hands of the witches, they'd decided to take matters into their own hands. They already had Carmella Long's piece. They just needed the rest. The idea was to destroy the star before Luca got his hands on it.